A spicy lemon, ginger and caraway seed stuffing is a different take on the Thanksgiving staple.

A spicy lemon, ginger and caraway seed stuffing is a different take on the Thanksgiving staple.

Photo: FRANCESCO TONELLI, New York Times

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Sausage pecan stuffing is the perfect companion for a turkey.

Sausage pecan stuffing is the perfect companion for a turkey.

Photo: Matthew Mead, Associated Press

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It's not Thanksgiving without a slice of pumpkin pie.

It's not Thanksgiving without a slice of pumpkin pie.

Photo: JERRY LARA, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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In this photo taken Nov. 21, 2011, Alex Vasquez, a pre-kindergarten student at Cleveland Bailey Elementary School in Midwest City, Okla., eats a piece of ham at a Thanksgiving meal in the school cafeteria. "Teacher Linda Curry has been organizing the event at the school for 18 years. She said the dinner allows her students to learn about the history and meaning of Thanksgiving by dressing as Pilgrims and Indians and enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

In this photo taken Nov. 21, 2011, Alex Vasquez, a pre-kindergarten student at Cleveland Bailey Elementary School in Midwest City, Okla., eats a piece of ham at a Thanksgiving meal in the school cafeteria.

Juan De Dios Morales says grace before eating his Thanksgiving dinner Sunday afternoon at the Laredo Civic Center where HEB hosted its annual Feast of Sharing.

Juan De Dios Morales says grace before eating his Thanksgiving dinner Sunday afternoon at the Laredo Civic Center where HEB hosted its annual Feast of Sharing.

Photo: CUATE SANTOS

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Feast your eyes on prices that are reasonable for the big meal

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Families might add the price of the traditional Thanksgiving meal to the list of things they're thankful for this year.

Compared to last year, when the typical holiday feast for 10 jumped 13 percent from the year before, this year's meal price went up less than 1 percent. Americans will pay an average of $49.48 for a 16-pound turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and nine other Thanksgiving dinner staples, the American Farm Bureau Federation has estimated.

Most items on the bureau's list cost the same or less this year, though an increase in demand added 66 cents to the average price of a turkey.

“Most Americans will pay about the same as last year at the grocery store for a turkey and all the trimmings,” said John Anderson, deputy chief economist for the AFBF. “A slight increase in demand for turkey is responsible for the moderate price increase our shoppers reported for the bird.”

Estimates specific to Texas won't be released until Nov. 19, but the Texas Farm Bureau found Texans paid $48.69 for their holiday meal last year. The state average usually trails the national price tag by about 50 cents, but San Antonians enjoy an even cheaper Thanksgiving dinner.

According to the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Alamo City had the lowest grocery prices among 304 urban areas in the U.S. during the third quarter this year. Based on a trip to a local H-E-B, San Antonio families can expect to pay $46.76 for the 12 items that the AFBR considered.

That surprised Toni Durr, a 68-year-old Woodlawn Heights resident who was shopping at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 8500 Jones Maltsberger on Thursday.

“There's no way in hell you could do a proper (Thanksgiving) dinner for under $100, even if you stick to the basics,” Durr said.

She said her typical feast includes mashed and sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, multiple salads, desserts and a ham on top of the turkey.

Unlike the Texas survey, the national averages don't reflect the price of pecans, a Texan favorite for holiday pies.

At H-E-B, a 16-ounce bag of shelled and halved pecans cost $8.49, down from the $9.78 that the Texas Farm Bureau estimated last year. Pecan prices have tumbled this year as the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted the nation's pecan harvest would be the highest in five years.